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Outside of Big Picture mode, the controller otherwise behaves as a standard two-stick controller, though Valve does plan on updating Steam to allow retaining the previously set Big Picture mode per-game settings. The Steamworks API provides means for developers to provide more detailed settings for the Steam Controller when in Big Picture mode.
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The controller is presently designed to be used within Steam's Big Picture mode this enables the player to access detailed options for setting up the various features of the controller on a per-game basis including button/trackpad mapping and sensitivity as well as accessing other users' shared controller configuration to use themselves. A representative configuration page for the Steam Controller, which demonstrates the array of settings that can be adjusted on a per-game basis.
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